Blistered green bean tacos with tomato pico & toasted almonds

Meat-free, the dynamic flavours of fresh veg, herbs, nuts and chillies call for an equally fresh and fruity dry white to bring it all together

- THOMASINA MIERS

I first visited Mexico nearly 30 years ago. Like so many I had always thought of Tex-Mex as Mexico’s national cuisine, but as I ate my way through the valleys and uplands of Oaxaca and the rainforests of Veracruz I was astounded by the unexpected diversity of fruit and vegetables. Many years later I learned, thanks to a meeting with a scientist from Kew Gardens, that Mexico, along with just a handful of other countries, is classified as ‘megadiverse’. While the UK has some 2,000 different native plant species, Mexico has 50,000 and it is this enormous range of herbs, greens, corn, chillies, squash plants, fruits and edible flowers that makes it such a special place to cook and eat.

A love of good ingredients and cooking seems woven through every inch of Mexico’s consciousness. This is a nation where taxi drivers will converse with you at length about what their grandmother used to cook for them; and where every occasion is an excuse for feasting. The ancient diet feels intriguingly modern in its make-up: mainly plant-based with protein found in indigenous beans, nuts and seeds and the occasional piece of fish, wild meat or insect (!). The cuisine is a celebration of produce with layers of flavour added through softspices, fresh herbs and dried chillies.

Mexican, for me, is the most magical of cuisines, subtle yet gutsy, nuanced but bold – not always spicy but always served with a spirit of conviviality. 

THE RECIPE

BLISTERED GREEN BEAN TACOS WITH TOMATO PICO & TOASTED ALMONDS